Bass Throwing Baits

[Montanaro]

Had a night tourny yesterday and hooked into 10 fish including a couple solid fish.

I landed one.

Same story for my boater. As soon as we hooked em they shot to surface and wouldn't stop jumping. Had one bass jump 3 times in a second without breaking water surface on way back down.

Braid, copoly, fc. Xfast, fast, moderate action rods. Loose and tight drags. Single hooks, trailer hooks and trebles. Rod in water before jump.

I've never seen so many lost fish. Any advice or se la vie?

[Neil McCauley]

Had a night tourny yesterday and hooked into 10 fish including a couple solid fish.

I landed one.

Same story for my boater. As soon as we hooked em they shot to surface and wouldn't stop jumping. Had one bass jump 3 times in a second without breaking water surface on way back down.

Braid, copoly, fc. Xfast, fast, moderate action rods. Loose and tight drags. Single hooks, trailer hooks and trebles. Rod in water before jump.

I've never seen so many lost fish. Any advice or se la vie?

Me either. I am still losing 3/4ths what I am hooking last 2 trips. Including a few monsters of course. Even after replacing all my trebles with Mustad KVDs. It's the hot water, they have tons of energy and their mouths are soft.

Probably only thing to do is try to use baits that are harder to throw. Would love to see an article on that, couldn't find anything.

[Jon G]

If they are jumping they are creating slack in your line which makes it easy for them to spit the hook.

 

If you feel them about to jump keep the rod tip down and start wrenching them in

[Montanaro]

If they are jumping they are creating slack in your line which makes it easy for them to spit the hook.

If you feel them about to jump keep the rod tip down and start wrenching them in

Oh I was wrenching on em like it was my job.

[Theangler1]

I've had this happening a lot too. What I try to do before they break surface is trying to tire them out by making them swim sideways. When the fish swims one way, I put my rod tip the other way to keep the hook in their mouths. That reverse pressure on the hook gives you a possible leg up on them.

[WRB]

Night fishing you often hook bass on a short line and the fish are hot, it's up to you to control them. You can't prevent hot bass from jumping, all you can do is use sharp hooks, get a good hook set use strong enough line, rod and reel to control the bass and get them into the boat.

Tom

[lectricbassman]

Night fishing you often hook bass on a short line and the fish are hot, it's up to you to control them. You can't prevent hot bass from jumping, all you can do is use sharp hooks, get a good hook set use strong enough line, rod and reel to control the bass and get them into the boat.

Tom

Ive noticed the last few times out that the fish have been hitting harder than usual, pulling a lot more drag than i ever remember. Ive lost a few good ones too when they jump. When you say 'hot' are you referring to their actual temperature? I know their metabolism speeds up so does this also mean the fish fight harder?

[Fisher-O-men]

I think he means "hot" as in fresh.  Braid allows more slack on the jump, as you probably already know.  My guess would be hook sharpness as the one variable you can control. I had three cranks spit back at me this week, but landed 7.

[lo n slo]

This morning,I had one to barf up his breakfast just before he surfaced and threw the hook, along with the rest of his breakfast, right back at me.

[CrazyFluker]

I lost two today, both times they busted the surface my baits popped out, one was was a solid 3lbs+ I had started with a new scrounged head with a fluke and caught a small pickerel and got snagged once. I checked the hook but seemed ok. I was thinking it may have gotten bent or dull from the snag.

I suck at sharpening hooks. Any methods you all like? Thanks.

[Dave Jakes]

I know your pain. Two weeks ago I went 0 for 7 on fish that hit and immediately swam up, jumped, and spit the hook during a night tournament. All 7 were on Strike King cranks (with original hooks). That week I switched out all my hooks with Gamakatsu. This last Friday was the next night tourny, I won it using the same cranks with new hooks. Caught about 15 bass on the same cranks and only lost one little dink. Three of my buddies were also throwing KVD cranks (but they didn't change hooks), and they each lost every fish they hooked up.

The original hooks on most hard baits are crap. However, they seem to only be a problem during these summer nights as I haven't had problems with the original hooks during the day. Not sure why, but it's been a bit stressful lately.

[Montanaro]

These bass were airborne within 3 seconds of being hooked. No chance to tire them and they were on a long line.

Those fish were indeed "hot".

[Catt]

C`est La Vie!

[WRB]

You can fish the same lake during the day time and the bass are a little deeper, may not jump more than once, the fight seems less aggressive compared to the same lake at night. What I have noticed is the bass are often shallower where I fish and making shorter cast because the bass are not as spooky and my depth perception is affected, the ability to make longer accurate casts is difficult. Most bass at night that are up shallow jump the instant they are hooked and fight very aggressively. Hard fighting bass are hot bass and combined with shorter cast, they are a handful, another reason to fish at night...it's exciting!

Tom

[bigbill]

Switch to a faster ratio reel. Keep the line tight to control the situation.

[d-camarena]

What he said, you need to get the fish in as fast as you can and always keep pressure on him. You have to have control of him 100% of the time or he will win the fight

[poisonokie]

I lost two today, both times they busted the surface my baits popped out, one was was a solid 3lbs+ I had started with a new scrounged head with a fluke and caught a small pickerel and got snagged once. I checked the hook but seemed ok. I was thinking it may have gotten bent or dull from the snag.

I suck at sharpening hooks. Any methods you all like? Thanks.

Get an eze-lap pen sharpener. You can take it anywhere. Just run the left, right, and outside of the point down the hook groove once each and it should be sticky sharp.

[Lunker Addict]

I have been having a problem with them burying themselves in the weeds and getting loose.

[SirSnookalot]

I have been having a problem with them burying themselves in the weeds and getting loose.

I would say I lose more bass due to weeds than any other reason.  Any fish can be lost on a jump even with a good solid hookset.  No one lands every single fish.

[papajoe222]

My outlook on fish coming unbuttoned is this; Fishing is a sport and as such is competition between you and the fish. Sometimes the fish win and sometimes I do. It's disappointing to loose, but it beats the heck out of no competition at all.  If I can reduce the odds of them throwing the hook, of course, I will. If they can reduce the chances of being brought to the boat, I say go for it and may the better competitor win. 

I'm still confused as to how something with a brain the size of a pea can win the competition, but I have been accused of being brainless more than once.

[Neil McCauley]

Switch to a faster ratio reel. Keep the line tight to control the situation.

Agree with this...haul them in faster. The fish I always seem to lose are the biggest ones that can't just be horsed in.

 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

X2- agree with papajoe2222

[Subaqua Adinterim]

My outlook on fish coming unbuttoned is this; Fishing is a sport and as such is competition between you and the fish. Sometimes the fish win and sometimes I do. It's disappointing to loose, but it beats the heck out of no competition at all.  If I can reduce the odds of them throwing the hook, of course, I will. If they can reduce the chances of being brought to the boat, I say go for it and may the better competitor win. 

I'm still confused as to how something with a brain the size of a pea can win the competition, but I have been accused of being brainless more than once.

X2- agree with papajoe2222 above

I actually put the odds more in the fish's favor by crimping down the barbs on my hooks. If I can have a little battle with the fish and see the size of it, then it's all good. If a fish takes a barbed hook too deep, the survival rate is not so good, so it also makes it more enjoyable to me to be able to release the fish easier whether it jumps off by the kayak or I get it in and have to unhook it. Of course I'm not in any tourneys and have no desire to ever be in one, so I guess there's a difference in my outlook because of that.

[Montanaro]

My 30+ ipt reels probably weren't the problem.

In daytime I rarely lose a fish. It just wasn't our night. Other anglers in the club noted similar experiences. I can understand losing one here or there. But over a dozen between boater and non boater is a beat down not a competition.

[Bankbeater]

Watch the line. When the bass starts to come to the surface wind like crazy to keep the line tight and then reset the hook before that bass jumps. It also helps to keep the rod tip in the water.